I’m not sure how many people are aware of it, but Pennsylvania has an official state bird, and it’s the ruffed grouse.
The ruffed grouse has been the official state bird since 1931.
Of course, the hunting crowd is well acquainted with the ruffed grouse, as it’s been hunted for many years.
“Hunted” is a good way to describe our efforts to take a grouse, since more often than not it is hunted and not “gotten.” The thunderous takeoff of a grouse has caught many hunters off guard, often resulting in a missed shot.
Our grouse population varies over time for several reasons, and one of the most important factors is cover. Some of the best grouse cover is brushy, logged-over forest areas, but these days in Pennsylvania, much of that type of cover has grown over, and much of our forested areas have matured. Large deer herds have also helped to reduce that much-needed cover.
That cover is especially important for breeding, feeding, and providing much-needed protection during the winter period.
Our grouse population is cyclic, with fluctuations from high to low that span periods of 5 to 10 years. As we hunters know, grouse will not tolerate crowding, with the minimum area needed to support a single brood being about nine acres.
While the grouse is our official state bird, I suspect most people seldom see it because of its normal brushy, wooded habitat. Certainly, if you hunt them, you may see them, but there are not many serious grouse hunters these days. If you do plan to hunt them, no doubt going with someone who has a well-trained dog will certainly increase your chances of success.
Even for those who don’t hunt, however, on occasion, grouse will show up in strange places.
My wife and I had one walking around in the front yard one afternoon, and we were able to walk up to it and almost touch it. The grouse eventually walked across the road, and when I touched it, it took off in that normal thunderous bolt.
Well, after all of this talk about our official state bird, the grouse, it appears that we may be getting another state bird.
A new bill introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly will designate the Scarlet Tanager as the state’s official “migratory state bird.”
They are a very eye-catching bird, with males crimson red and jet-black wings, while females are yellowish-green.
In the spring of the year, Scarlet Tanagers return from the tropical forests in South America to breed throughout Pennsylvania.
They tend to be elusive, spending much of their time high in the leafy tree canopies.
With all this talk of an official state bird, maybe we should also consider having an official state rodent. I’m from western Pennsylvania, where Punxsutawney Phil was the central figure of the annual Groundhog Day in February; he is even featured in TV commercials these days. Something tells me that won’t happen.
In the meantime, keep your eyes out for what may well be our new official state migratory bird — the Scarlet Tanager.
